Mr
Mr. McCormack Big Idea Worksheet
American Government Study Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section One: Parties and What They Do (p 116-118)
A political party is a group of persons, joined together by __________, who seek to control _________ in order to implement certain __________. (p 116)
American political parties are a little different because they are no primarily __________ or __________ oriented. Instead, they are __________ oriented. (p 116)
Political parties are a vital link between the __________ and their __________. (p 116)
Please complete the chart by explaining the roles played by political parties. (p 117-118)
|Role |Explanation |Example |
|Nominating | | |
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|Informing | | |
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|Bonding Agent | | |
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|Governing | | |
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|Watchdog | | |
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| | | |
Mr. McCormack Big Idea Worksheet
American Government Study Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Two: The Two-Party System (p 119-124)
A number of factors help to explain why America has had and continues to have a _________ system. (p 119)
The system is rooted in the __________ of the Constitution, which precipitated our first two parties: the __________, led by _________, and the _________, led by __________. (p 119)
Once established, human institutions (including political systems) are likely to become __________. Americans accept this because it has always been that way. (p 120)
Several features of the _________ tend to promote the existence of two major parties. (p 120)
The winning candidate in our elections is the one who receives a __________ (the ________ of votes cast for that office). (p 120)
Because only one candidate can win, voters usually face only two viable choices: vote for the candidate holding the _________, or vote for the candidate with the best chance of __________. (p 120)
Most voters think of a vote for a minor party candidate as a __________. (p 120)
Election laws have been shaped to __________, __________, and __________ the system. For example, in most states it is __________ for minor parties to get their candidates listed on the ballot. (p 121)
Over time, Americans have shared many of the same __________, the same basic __________, and the same patterns of __________. (p 121)
To capture a majority in an election, both Democrats and Republicans try to win over __________. (p 122)
In a typical multiparty system, the various parties are each based on a particular __________, such as _________, __________, __________, or __________. (p 122)
Multiparty systems do tend to produce a more _________ representation of the electorate, but often lead to __________ in government. (p 122)
When no party wins the support of a majority, a number of parties must form a _________ to govern. (p 122)
In nearly all __________, only one political party is allowed. (p 123)
About _________ of the states in the United States are dominated by a single political party, and even in states with a strong two-party system, there are many __________ dominated by a single party. (p 123)
In the US, membership in a party is purely __________. (p 123)
__________ attract more support from African Americans, Jews, and union members. (p 123)
__________ attract more support from whites, Protestants, and the business community. (p 123)
Studies show that _________ of all Americans join the same political party as their parents. (p 123)
Mr. McCormack Big Idea Worksheet
American Government Study Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Three: The Two-Party System in American History (p 126-131)
Please complete this chart with the information found in this section.
|Period |Realigning |Dominant |Weaker |Issues |
| |Event |Party |Party or Parties | |
|1788- |Ratification of the | | | |
|1800 |Constitution | | | |
| | | | | |
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| | | | | |
| | |____ of 3 Elections | | |
|1800- |Westward Expansion | | | |
|1860 | | | | |
| | | | | |
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| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | |____ of 15 Elections | | |
|1860- |Civil War | | | |
|1932 | | | | |
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| | | | | |
| | |____ of 18 Elections | | |
|1932- |Great Depression | | | |
|1968 | | | | |
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| | | | | |
| | |____ of 9 Elections | | |
|1968-Present |Great Society/ | | | |
| |Culture Wars | | | |
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| | | | | |
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| | |____ of 11 Elections | | |
The _________ Party is the only one in American history to evolve from a minor party into a major one. (p 128)
Mr. McCormack Big Idea Worksheet
American Government Study Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Four: The Minor Parties (p 132-135)
The __________ and __________ of minor parties make them difficult to describe and classify. (p 132)
Most are __________, but some have existed for decades. (p 132)
Please complete this chart with the information found on pages 132-134.
|Type of Party |Basis or |Examples |Reason for Disappearance |
| |Focus | | |
|Ideological | | | |
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|Single-Issue | | | |
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|Economic Protest | | | |
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|Splinter | | | |
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Minor parties can play a decisive role, often called a _________, in an election by pulling votes from one of the major parties. (p 134)
Historically, however, the minor parties have been most important in their roles of _________ and __________. (p 135)
Examples of issues raised by minor parties include: (p 135) __________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________ of the __________ Party was the most successful minor-party presidential candidate in history. __________ of the __________ Party was the most successful minor-party presidential candidate in the last thirty years. (p 135)
Mr. McCormack Big Idea Worksheet
American Government Study Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Five: Party Organization (p 137-142)
Major parties are often described as though they were _________, __________, __________ groups, but that is not very accurate. (p 137)
Neither party has a ________ running through the local, state, and national levels. These various units usually cooperate, but that is not always the case. (p 137)
The __________ party is usually more solidly united and cohesively organized. (p 137)
__________ is one major reason for the decentralized nature of the two political parties. (p 138)
The _________ process, which requires intraparty contests, is also a prime cause of their highly fragmented character. (p 138)
Please describe the purposes and operation of each part of our political parties. (p 138-140)
|National Convention | |
| | |
|National Committee | |
| | |
|National Chairperson | |
| | |
|Congressional Campaign | |
|Committees | |
|State Organization | |
|Local Organization | |
Please explain who belongs to each component of our political parties: (p 140-141)
Party in the Electorate: ______________________________________________________________________
Party Organization: _________________________________________________________________________
Party in Government: ________________________________________________________________________
Which component is the smallest? _________ Which component is the largest? _________
The present, weakened state of the parties can be traced to several factors: (p 141-142)
1. __________________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________________________
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